By ELISSA FRIDAY
WHERE does time go?
Has someone fast-forwarded the days?
It’s nearly December, the festive season rush is looming again and I’ve got foodie Christmas day ideas on my mind.
Whether your spread will be big, small, at lunchtime or dinner, I found some great value meat, vegetables and cakes at my local supermarket.
Keep in mind that the specials I found might not be available when you shop but, with a keen eye, you’re sure to find some equally good bargains of your own.
Turkey is a yummy traditional choice if you’re not a huge lover of red meat. And I’ve heard through the grapevine that cooking it upside down makes the breast meat extra juicy.
On my shopping mission to Coles Geelong I found a 4.4kg turkey for just $28 – great value. It was frozen, mind you, so I quickly popped it in a basket so my fingers could thaw.
Chicken is another easy option that goes down well with most of us. And I found an RSPCA-approved whole extra-large chicken for just $4.68.
Marinade it overnight, pop it on the barbeque or roast it and fill with a lovely stuffing of your choice.
Try making your stuffing with ‘craisins’ – dried Ocean Spray cranberries. They’re simply scrumptious little bursts of fruit in every mouthful.
But try not eating them all while you you’re cooking though – ha, ha.
I couldn’t resist popping in my basket a piece of gourmet meat – almost 2kg of rib eye roast with bone still in for just $20 a kilogram. Rib eye is by no means a cheap cut, so this was a great way to save some money.
Once cooked, just slice it off the bone in one go if you like and, voila, you have Scotch fillet.
Then I found Desiree potatoes – the pink ones – for only $3.98 a kilo. You can make a lot of mash at that price.
Try mashing them boiled with a third as much again in orange-coloured sweet potatoes, a generous knob of garlic butter, a splash of milk and topped with a little grated parmesan cheese. Yum yum.
I also discovered some FRUIT mince pies for $7, a rich chocolate-and-hazelnut cake for $15 and a rather posh-looking Coles pudding for $18, beautifully presented in an authentic-looking cloth and tied with a ribbon.
Lastly, and I know it’s cheating, but I found an undressed, mallow, yummy-looking Pavlova base for $8; perfect for anyone who knows how to make a meringue but who doesn’t want to risk it on the day – or ever.
Pile on vanilla cream or $2 Coles custard and mixed fruit – it’s always so aesthetically pleasing.
By now I had no more room left in my basket for bargains.
I’ll need a trolley next time!
